Bodyform campaign - couldn't believe it!

morg_monster

While I agree with the sentiment (donated sanitary pad better than newspaper or bark - regardless of how many women use newspaper and bark), it is shocking that bodyform are trying to look good over this while they are not putting a penny towards this problem and instead relying on customers' good will! If it was buy 2 packs and bodyform will donate a third, that would be slightly different. Although STILL having strong overtones of the nestle baby milk scandal.

It is a tough one - yes if women are having to resort to dangerous methods of protection then donated sanitary towels are better; but again in the long run reusable protection is better there as it is for every other country in the world. However as people have said, why should we want developing countries to use reusables if we (as a country) don't - it is a bit like the G8 governments demanding that China, India, African countries use less fossil fuels - they are in different periods of their history than us - we poisoned our countries in our industrial revolutions why shouldn't they be able to now they are in theirs?!

But anyway. THe reason there are no affordable sanitary protection in Zimbabwe is that the companies manufacturing them in the country had to close down. In their economic climate, there is no way they are going to be reopening any time soon. So IF women have been using disposable products in the past, they now either rely on expensive imports, or on goodwill donations from other countries, or they try to make their own. most will not go for the latter, like in the UK. So for most people the options are the expensive imports or the donations (or the newspapers or bark!).

There is another organisation (ACTSA) trying to do the same thing - I wonder if they are using the donated packs from bodyform?

One point to note - I'm sure that any Zimbabwean woman who has previously been making her own reusables will be pleased with herself at the moment and probably making more for her relatives - NOT rushing out to get her hands on a free pack of bodyform!

in my mind the best solution would be to set up some kind of cooperative with Zimbabweans manufacturing the reusables and selling for a fair price in their country. maybe some zimbabwean fair trade guru could manage that. Or Mugabe could solve the problem by printing more money to give to the women so they can buy the pads... that is what he is doing for underfunded community projects apparently... obviously no economics GCSE there!

stacey21_2

I watched a documentary about this and it is becoming a major problem as trying to get these products to woman is becoming a risk for those involved, i.e being robbed etc.

I also read an article where it said that the woman who use rags/newspapers/leaves etc often contract diseases which are believed to be sexually transmitted and are then shunned from the community and often leads to domestic violence from their husbands.

Sarahsaver

AFAIK not much at all is 'affordable' in Zimbabwe, with inflation being in thousands of %

foreign_correspondent

I dont for a minute think bodyform are involved for altruistic reasons, but they have raised awareness of this issue. (well, we are all talking aout it anyway:T )

UK women used to use re-usables. Disposables were brought in and were hugely popular. Tampons maybe worth considering too- 100% biodegradable -Whoever invented tampax was a genius in my opinion!

As morg suggests it is hugely patriarchal to suggest that women in zimbabwe shouldnt have access to these products, which are clean, safe and comfortable - because they damage the environment - whilst we as a nation consume hugely more material goods than most people in zimbabwe.
We need to put our own house in order before we criticise others.

And, as stacey points out, not having access to appropriate sanitary products puts women and girls at risk of infection, which can lead to social stigma and even domestic violence, who are we to say 'these are not for you, just for us'

I have also read a report by a female trade unionist in zimbabwe who talks of women having to miss work because they have no sanitary protection. Some activists say consignments of sanitary towels have been stopped by the military. They interpreted this as an attempt to degrade, humiliate and control women by denying them the right to basic human dignity.

If we credit these women with being intelligent people lets ensure they have access to the products and also the environmental information, and let them decide, as we do in the UK. I am sure for most the prospect of being safe, helth and comfortable will outweigh long term concerns about the environment, just as it does for most of us.

Perhaps part of the answer is to be lobbying the producers to reduce the environmental imact of these products, because in reality most of us will continue buying them for the reasons stated above. I understand that in many sanitary towels the non-biodegradable bit is the plastic backing - I remember a few years go a brand was available that was biodegradable, as the backing was made from the same sort of plastic as biodegradable carrier bags!

ClumsyHaze

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

I'm sorry, but that's a very NIMBY comment. If you are going to ban "polluting sanitary towels" from "third world countries" as they are so damaging to the environment, then you would have more benefit banning them from the "developed" world. After all, far more are consumed here and in terms of reducing consumption and therefore pollution, then banning them here would have a far, far greater effect.

OK, this is my first post but I felt compelled to register instead of lurking. I'm still in the evangelical stage of Mooncup ownership and I'm very aware that women in general just don't know that there are alternatives to disposable tampons/towels. Obviously the companies involved don't want to publicise the fact that it even exists. I've even heard of GP's not being aware of Mooncups, so what hope do women have !! It was only when I started looking into eco friendly sanitarywear that I stumbled across the Mooncup, and I have to say I was queasy about the idea behind it. However, after trying it out, I'm sceptical as to why schools/GPs don't publicise the existance of the things !!! They're ace !!!

Hapless_2

Some activists say consignments of sanitary towels have been stopped by the military.

The towels that are available are on the black market smuggled in from South Africa. No sanitary products are being shipped out there, foreign imports are not approved of, unless it is food aid of course, it saves him worrying about the starving!

They interpreted this as an attempt to degrade, humiliate and control women by denying them the right to basic human dignity.

Mugabe doesn't treat these women any different to anyone else who has a gripe with him, humiliation and degredation are his favourite weapons, whether black, white, male or female, straight or gay.
His idea of control is shoot now or hope they p1ss off to South Africa. Except the South Africa Defence Force keep sending them back.

The bloke is a certifiable nutter, blaming the UK for poisoning the land and causing drought by using chemical weapons. Do you really think that sanitary towels rate high on peoples list where there is not enough food to go around?
It makes good publicity for the activists and the companies but a sanitary towel won't feed the hungry.

What people need to concentrate on is what will happen in the event of Mugabe's death, he's an old man now and there will be far more important things than sanitary products to worry about on that day. There will be full scale Civil WAR.

miserly_mum

Ok seriously now how many of you would be happy with a sunday supplement down yer pants?

Firefly

youngie wrote: »

Some of these countries the women have to use old newspaper and the print has stuff in it that increases the risk of cancer dramatically

Where did you get that information from? After all, many of us read newspapers and if the toxins can be absorbed through the skin, there could be consequences for all of us.

I would never have heard of a mooncup if it hadn't been for this forum.

Hapless_2

miserly_mum wrote: »

Ok seriously now how many of you would be happy with a sunday supplement down yer pants?

Strangely enough, normally they would use animal skins or sew fabric together unless Mugabe has made sewing illegal now or suddenly all the Zimbabwean women have become stupid overnight?

Hapless_2

stacey21 wrote: »

I watched a documentary about this and it is becoming a major problem as trying to get these products to woman is becoming a risk for those involved, i.e being robbed etc.

I also read an article where it said that the woman who use rags/newspapers/leaves etc often contract diseases which are believed to be sexually transmitted and are then shunned from the community and often leads to domestic violence from their husbands.

Be careful what you read and watch. the average lifespan of a Zimbabwean woman is 43, the majority dying from AIDS or starvation. there are more cases of AIDS and HiV than syphilis, chlamydia, gonnorhea etc.
The ones complaining about the lack of sanitary protection are the "better off" women (if there is such a thing). I can't see how piles of dirty sanitary towels which have a 75% chance of being infected with HiV or Aids on the streets of Harare or Bulawayo is more hygenic than newspaper.